Bedside reading device



March 25,v 1952 c. F. SHEPARD 2,590,657

BEDSIDEJREADING DEVICE F-iled Feb. 11, 1949 INVENTOR CARL F. SHEPARD AT TO RNEY Patented Mar. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES i- ATENT OFFICE 2,590,657 I BEDSIDE READING DEVICE Carl F. Shepard, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 11, 1949, Serial No. 75,813

1 Claim.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bedside reading. devices.

Ordinarily in hospitals and convalescent homes, reading means must be supplied for paralyzed, partially paralyzed, or otherwise immobilized patients. Various types of projection means for throwing an enlarged image of the written page upon a suitable screen or wall surface have been used. However, such equipment is quite expensive, usually requires the service of an operator, and cannot-readily be operated by the patient.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide a compact, easily used bedside reading device which may be utilized by a patient without the services of another person.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bedside reading device which may be positioned so that the patient can read without any strain.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a' bedside reading device which is simple and economical in construction, and is compact and light in Weight so as to be easily handled.

With the above and other objects in view, my

invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a bedside reading device constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention, illustrating the device as used;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form of bedside reading device constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the connecting bracket of the modified form of bedside reading device.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates practical embodiments of the present invention, 1

I designates a conventional type of hospital bedside table having a table-leaf 2 which projects horizontally for overlying disposition above a hospital bed. Positioned upon said table-leaf 2 is a reading device A having a base 3 and a housing or cabinet 4. Said housing member 4 comprises a lower section s and an upper section s' disposed angularly thereto. Said lower section .9 comprises opposed vertical front and back walls 5, 6, which are each integrally provided on their lower margins with an inturned flange I suitably apertured to receive screws 8 for attachment to the base 3. The upper section s of said housing t is provided with parallel walls 9, H) which are integral extensions of the walls 5, 6 respectively of the lower section s and are angularly disposed thereto by bends as at ll, [2. Said walls 9, Hi, are integrally secured to each other by side walls l3, l3, and at their forward ends are secured to an end wall M. It is thus to be seen that the upper section s of the housing 4 is entirely enclosed, whereas access is available to the lower section s through the space between the walls 5, 6.

Disposed upon the base member 3 centrally between the walls 5, B, is a book-rest R having an inclined face is and an upturned rim l6 spaced forwardly from said inclined face [5 for readily supporting a book B or other type of reading matter in a plane approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing or cabinet. It is to be particularly noted that the bottom margin of the inclined face I5 is elevated from the base portion 3 a distance equal to the height of the wall 5.

Secured to the wall 9 is a conventional light source H, which is in rearwardly spaced and elevated relation to the inclined face l5 of the bookrest R. Secured adjacent to the light l1 and rearwardly thereof is a shield 18 preventing the rays of said light H from directly illuminating the portion of the housing 4 forwardly thereof.

Forwardly of the bend II in the wall 9 there is secured the lower end of a semitransparent sheet of glass l9 which extends diagonally between the sides 9, II and is secured at its upper end to the side It] at a point immediately adjacent the end margin thereof. The under face I of said glass sheet I9 is a semireflecting mirror and the upper face 1" is preferably provided with a low reflective coating to prevent double images. Suitably secured to the inwardly presented face of the end plate M is a concave reflector 20. Finally the side walls 9, IE), are respectively provided with aligned apertures 2|, 22, the axis of alignment thereof passing through the mid-point of the glass sheet 19.

In operation, the table I is positioned so the aperture 2| of the side It is in comfortable elevated relation to the patients eyes. The book B is placed in the book-rest R and the light I1 is turned on. The rays of said light 11 strike the exposed pages of the book B and are deflected therefrom forwardly through the glass sheet 19 and onto the reflector 20. By the concavity of the reflector 20, the rays are reflected rearwardly. The rays thence strike the semirefiecting under surface of the glass sheet l9, whereupon some of said rays are reflected downwardly through the aperture 2| to the patients eyes, to focus at the patients eyes and create an apparent optical image at E.

If desired, a modified type of bedside reading device C may be provided for attachment to the conventional type of hospital reading table 23, which incorporates a table-leaf 24 tiltably mounted at the upper end of a vertical support 24' and has secured to its outwardly presented face a horizontally extending ledge 25 for supporting a book. The device is substantially similar to the previously described device A except that it is provided on its rearward end with a triangular bracket 26 having an end face 21 for surface engagement with the table-leaf 24 and being removably secured thereto by clamp members 28 threadedly engaged in suitable apertures 29 in depending arms 30. Extending forwardly from, and perpendicular to, the end wall 21 is a top wall 3| having secured therein a light I1 and a shield 18'. Depending from the side margins of said top wall 3| at its rearward end are relatively short flanges 32, 32', which are integral with forwardly extending side walls 33, 33, respectively. Said walls 33, 33', are secured at their lower margin to a bottom wall 34. At their ends, the walls 3|, 33. 33', and 34 are secured to an end wall I4 provided on its inwardly presented surface with a concave reflector 20'. Also provided in the area enclosed by the walls 31, 33, 34, is a semitransparent glass sheet I9.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the bedside reading device may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A bedside reading device for reading while lying in bed comprising a housing having lower and upper sections, said upper section extending at an angle from the lower section and being elevated to be positioned above the head of a person lying in bed and having a viewing aperture through the lower side thereof in the line of sight of the person, a concave mirror mounted across the outer end of the upper section of the housing, supporting means angularly provided interiorly of the lower section for supporting reading material substantially parallel with the mirror, a source of light in the interior of the housing directed upon reading material as thus supported, and a semitransparent sheet mounted across and within the upper section of said housing with its upper edge adjacent to the upper part of themirror and the body of the sheet disposed diagonally over the viewing aperture and between the mirror and the supporting means, said semitransparent sheet having a low reflective coating on its upper face and the under face being semireflecting.

CARL F. SHEPARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,958,036 Draper May 8, 1934 2,211,480 Ring Aug. 13, 1940 2,251,984 Cleaver et al. Aug. 12, 1941 2,358,316 Chwalow Sept. 19, 1944 2,482,115 Laird Sept. 20, 1949 2,490,747 Creighton Dec. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 38,359 Netherlands June 15, 1936 

